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I had a cardiac cath 7 weeks ago and after 2 weeks of pain went for ultrasound that revealed a small hematoma. It was never externally visible, just painful. Was told it should resolve in a couple of weeks. It has been 3 weeks since the supposed resolution time and still getting painful sensations. How long until this resolves and should I be concerned about a long term issue or even devolution into something worse? Thanks.

Answer:

The issues that need to be ruled out are pseudoaneurysm of the femoral artery at the puncture site and thrombophlebitis of the femoral vein in the groin. The fact that an ultrasound exam at two weeks post-cath revealed only a hematoma is reassuring, but since the pain persists, I would recommend a repeat ultrasound exam. If the arteries and veins are normal on ultrasound exam, there is probably nothing else to do at that point than to wait for the inflammation of the tissues to subside at which point the pain will usually resolve.